Coffee Lids

Reviews / Votes

"Once you start thinking and learning about design, it changes the way you see everything. Coffee Lids: Peel, Pinch, Pucker, Puncture by Louise Harpman and Scott Specht is the perfect encapsulation of this, full of close-up photographs and patent drawings that show how this everyday object is a true work of functional art." -- Buzzfeed "Coffee Lids is a fascinating glimpse into the evolution of a design archetype of our consumer culture. The presentation of the lids enables the reader to pore over the details inherent to these appealing shapes. As Specht puts it, "there is a basic aesthetic pleasure that comes from viewing a succession of similar but not identical objects"." Creative Review




"The coffee cup lid is one of those seemingly mundane inventions that are so fully integrated into modern life, they're easy to overlook. But as Harpman details in the introduction to the new book she co-wrote with Specht, Coffee Lids: Peel, Pinch, Pucker, Puncture, there is a fascinating design history behind the objects." Atlas Obscura



"The pair's new book, Coffee Lids: Peel, Pinch, Pucker, Puncture, documents 200 of their favourites through a series of colour photographs and original patent drawings. Designs range from weird and impractical to the ergonomically sublime. It's a love letter from two design geeks who have found beauty in something seemingly mundane. Even after amassing their extensive collection, Harpman and Specht say it's far from complete and the hunt for the perfect lid still goes on." Courier Magazine